Second place no guarantee of play-offs

Even if Ireland finish second in Group C, Giovanni Trapattoni’s team will not be guaranteed a place in the play-offs for the 2014 World Cup finals.

That’s because the runner-up with the fewest points across the nine groups will be cut from the draw for the four two-legged ties in November.

The same rule applied four years ago, when Norway missed out. On that occasion Ireland occupied the eighth and last place in the table of second-placed teams.